So, one thing that I am really enjoying here in Nice is the efficiency and just general awesomeness of the public transit! So in this post I'm going to talk about the transit system that I've come to depend on -- and enjoy using!

After starting to settle into the jour typique à Nice, I've started to use public transit to get around. When I first arrived, I was walking everywhere. As wonderful as it is for me to walk in the city streets, after moving into my apartment getting around with nothing but my two feet wasn't as logical of an option for me. I live just north of the "centre-ville" of Nice, right where the hills start to climb up. The French Riviera cities are all on a narrow strip of level land where the Mediterranean Sea meets the beaches. Small mountains encircle the cities, giving it a very picturesque look that is classic of the area. Anyways, I ramble! Long story short, I'm a far distance from my university, so I needed to start using the "Lignes d'azur", the public transit here in Nice.

The public transit here is nothing short of wonderful. As a user and strong believer in public transportation, I am happy to finally be living in a place that believes in it too! There are numerous bus routes which provide excellent coverage to the city (I believe there are around 60 routes in the entire route, I'll confirm that in my next post), and the service frequency is usually every 5-10 minutes within central Nice! There is also the LRT tram which quickly and smoothly gets you to many destinations across the city. And the best part: a "solo" ticket only costs 1€!! A far cry from the $3 fare paid to use Toronto's public transit (which has comparable transit services to those of Nice's) !! Europe as a whole is like this; a German friend of mine was shocked when I told her how the service frequency during peak hours in Guelph is only 20 minutes. The EU is very knowledgeable about the need for good public transit, and investing money into it pays off. Cheap fare and excellent service -- it's a rare occasion to be riding in an empty bus or tram here in Nice!

image from: http://www.nicematin.com/media_nicematin/imagecache/article-taille-normale-nm/Tram_0.jpg

To conclude, I'll make one last point as to just how awesome it is using the transit. All of the vehicles... are made by Mercedes! That's what I'm talking about!! If you don't believe me, régardez :

image from: http://89.img.v4.skyrock.net/89d/nissabus/pics/2497712039_small_1.jpg

(Okay, so apparently it's gonna cut the picture short when I post it, so I guess you'll just have to take my word for it people!!)

My "blog moments" always happen so late at night, and right now, it's approaching 2am. And of course, I have school tomorrow! So, until my next post...

À bientôt à tous